JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Walking down the aisles of Walmart, holding hands with Jacksonville police officers and firefighters Friday, Bri’Ya and Braxton Williams smiled from ear to ear.
The brother and sister grabbed toys and clothes and quickly put them in their cart before moving on to the next aisle.
The siblings, 5 and 6 years old, still have scratches and bug bites on their faces after two and a half days in the woods.
Police said they disappeared from their home in the Paradise Village Mobile Home Park on Sunday morning. It sparked an Amber Alert and a massive search. Tuesday afternoon, just minutes before strong storms ripped through the area, a line of Jacksonville firefighters and police officers heard voices.
“Hey!” yelled Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Lt. Josh Montoro. Moments later, a tiny voice replied. The siblings were huddled together in a makeshift shed, 450 meters north of their home, surrounded by deep brush.
The discovery was dubbed a “miracle” after many began to fear the worst.
The siblings spent 2 days at UF Health hospital and were discharged Thursday afternoon. All the while, first responders were planning a big surprise for the family.
Friday afternoon, many of the same rescuers who found the pair pushed them in carts down the aisles of the Walmart on Normandy Bouelvard.
Police officers and firefighters took Braxton and Bri'ya Williams on a shopping spree at Walmart on Normandy Boulevard.
Montoro, who carried Bri’ya back from the woods, was now chauffeuring her past shelves of toys.
“You like this?” he asked. “This could go with all your little babies. There you go.”
First responders admitted they weren’t sure this day would ever come.
“It was so overwhelming,” said Engineer Kyle Eastburn. “You heard somebody screaming, ‘We’ve got kids over here!’ And we were just hoping everything was going to be good with it as we got in there, and sure enough it was. The kids are alive and well.”
The shopping spree was a team effort. Fraternal Order Police President Steve Zone and Jacksonville Association of Firefighters President Randy Wyse, along with City Councilman Randy White, met with the family after the discovery. They noticed a need, with nine children and two parents living in the mobile home, some without proper beds and toiletries.
“We talked about wanting to do something special for the kids in the family,” Zona said. “We decided to take them on a shopping spree so they can have a Merry Christmas.”
“This is something that really kind of reinvigorates first responders, when you’re working hard for something and you have a positive outcome,” Wyse added.
At the same time as the shopping spree, a white box truck showed up at the family’s home. Employees from Ashley HomeStore unloaded bunk beds, sheets, bed spreads and more. A manager received a call from a Mayor Lenny Curry’s office the day prior about an immediate need for help. The company didn’t hesitate to donate.
Firefighters arrived to help assemble the furniture and make the beds.
“They’re blessed,” said Bianca Williams, the mother of the children. “Everybody’s happy. My kids came home safe, and I just thank God. I thank everybody."
Just as thankful, the men and women who searched for days through fields and swamps, finally finding these special kids.
“Being able to be with these kids is such an opportunity I won’t be able to have,” said Officer Bethany Senterfitt, who trudged through water looking for the children. “It’s a Christmas miracle in my eyes.”
“We have a lot of bad runs and they don’t always end up like you would hope,” Eastburn added. “We weren’t quite expecting this one but it couldn’t have been a better outcome.”
Lowe’s Home Improvement also donated decorations and Christmas lights for the outside of the home -- a home that’s now filled with joy.
The investigation into what happened continues, but detectives said they don’t suspect foul play and that all signs point to the children wandering away.